Swapdle
Swap scrambled letters back into a crossword within the swap limit.
Every day: One numbered daily crossword grid of scrambled letters for everyone, at Easy, Medium, Hard and Cruel: swap letters back into place within the swap limit. New puzzle: Once a day.
Swapdle is a daily word-swap puzzle. A small crossword grid has all its letters scrambled, and you swap pairs by click or drag to put every word right within a limited number of swaps. Colours hint where each letter belongs, and the daily comes in four difficulties.
About Swapdle
Swapdle gives everyone the same numbered daily grid, Daily #486 on 3 October 2026, in four levels: Easy, Medium, Hard and Cruel. The grid is a small crossword of interlocking words, and every letter has been shuffled.
You swap two letters at a time, by clicking or dragging, and you must solve the grid within the swap limit. The colours guide you: green means the letter is in the right word and the right position, orange the right word but the wrong position, purple that it belongs in a directly connected word, and grey that it belongs in a word that is not directly connected.
Besides the daily there is an Unlimited mode, and the same makers run Thirdle and TravelGuessr.
It suits fans of Waffle and other swap puzzles who want a choice of difficulty each day.
How to play Swapdle
- Choose the day's difficulty: Easy, Medium, Hard or Cruel.
- Click or drag a letter onto another to swap them.
- Read the colours: green right spot, orange right word, purple a connected word, grey an unconnected word.
- Plan swaps so each one fixes as much as possible.
- Solve the whole grid within the swap limit.
Tips
- Look for swaps that put two letters in place at once.
- Purple letters belong in a crossing word; check the intersection first.
- Try Cruel only once Hard feels comfortable.
Questions
Is there a swap limit?
Yes, each daily grid must be solved within a limited number of swaps.
How many difficulties are there?
Four: Easy, Medium, Hard and Cruel.
Can I play more?
Yes, in Unlimited mode.
Games like Swapdle
Waffle
Swap letters back into six crossing words
Swapple
Swap letters to rebuild a 5x5 grid
Crosswordle
Swap scrambled letters around a small crossword
Reunion
Swap letters until every word reads true
Thirdle
A sibling puzzle from the same makers
Code Cracker (NZ Herald)
The NZ Herald's daily codeword: work out which letter each number stands for and reveal the mystery answer.
Crosswordle (crosswordle.org)
A 5x5 crossword with no clues, where every word is a small Wordle.
lexagons
Build ten words from offered letters, dodge the trick choices and score for rare words.